The coaching carousel is slowing down

Man, some of you are bitter, angry people, aren’t you?

Take a look through some of the comments here about Swirsk and tell me how many readers-slash-writers need to be medicated.

On to the stuff:

Sounds like we’ll get some resolution to various coaching problems this week.

CHRIS O'MEARA/AP

Bad news for Mr. Big Shot.

It seems Rick Carlisle’s going to Dallas as early as tomorrow, surely Mike D’Antoni won’t leave everyone hanging and choose between the Bulls and Knicks in the next day or so and that will leave just a couple of openings.

My bet is that D’Antoni ends up in Chicago although I could be wrong, which leaves two openings at the moment: Phoenix and New York.

Which of those jobs is better?

I’d say Phoenix in a heartbeat but I haven’t heard a name linked to that gig at all. I know it’s in the West and the team’s getting old (hello, Shaq!) but it’s certainly got better pieces than the mess in New York

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I can’t imagine why a guy like Mark Jackson would want that Knicks job. The last thing a first-time coach should do is take over a team that’s awful because they get saddled with losses on the record and people get antsy about having a first-timer in charge.

Unless he gets a four-year deal at big money, it’s a big gamble because a second job is harder to get if you get fired for losing at your first one.

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A personal favourite Chuck story.

We’re in Sacramento a couple of seasons ago and Stumpy’s ex lives there with her new beau, who’s a Kings fan or something. The dude goes to the game and when we’re driving back from Sacramento to San Francisco (you never stay in Sacramento if you can avoid it), Stump’s on the phone to the ex.

She says it’s nice that he had a conversation at the game with the new boy and she’s impressed to hear that Stumpy was all dressed up.

Well, that sends off the alarms because Stumpy’s a lot of things, well dressed not being one of them.

Turns out the ex’s new boy had a long chat with Swirsk, thinking Chuck was Stumpy and Chuck played right along.

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Hey kids, the mailbag’s a little low and tomorrow’s supposed to be mail day so get some in there, would you? And can we get a wee bit more creative that “what do you think of this trade?” please. Thank you.

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Speaking of mail:

Q: I'll keep it concise. Aside from Mo Pete (who I think a lot of Raps fans are rooting for, myself included), are there any other ex-Raps left in these playoffs?  Are any making a contribution or are they buried at the end of their respective benches?
Thanks
Matt K, Toronto

A: Well, you’ve got Mike James doing nothing for the Hornets and Juan Dixon doing nothing for the Pistons. Do they count?

PS: I presume you were looking for someone more obscure than Chauncey Billups, right?

PPS: Wow, I must have been asleep answering this one this morning. How could I have forgotten The Red Rocket, Mighty Mouse and Carlos Arroyo. My bad. My very bad.

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No, I don’t think Richard Jefferson allegedly getting into a scrap in a Minneapolis bar last January makes him any less desireable to the Raptors, who will probably have him on the list of players they’d think about trading for.

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Oh oh.

Watching the Pistons last night and seeing Chauncey Billups go out with a hamstring injury put a whole new spin on that series.

Billups, a big favourite around these parts, is the guy who makes that team go and if he can’t play, I honestly don’t think the Pistons can win.

It’d be a tough finish to a good season for Mr. Big Shot. He won the citizenship award given out by the writers and broadcasters earlier this week but not being 100 per cent for a big playoff series would kill him.

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Hey, when you’re bouncing names around to fill the Swirsky void, remember this: You’re looking for a play-by-play guy, not an analyst. That’s an entirely different, and some would say more difficult, job than the one Jack and Leo do on TV and Eric Smith does on the radio.

Best possible name I’ve heard out there is Seattle’s Kevin Calabro, who would be in any discussion of best play-by-play guys in the league. He’s said he’s not going to Oklahoma City – which shows me he’s smart – but maybe Toronto’s got some more allure?

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There’s be Raptors spanning the globe, spreading their unique brand of cheer, most of the summer.

Assistant coach Jay Triano will take part in Basketball Without Borders clinics in Istanbul, Turkey in early June and director of global scouting Masai Ujuri and assistant trainer for strength and conditioning Keith D’Amelia will be in Johannesburg for clinics in September.

Basketball Without Borders is one of the very best things the league does, by the way.

Comments

[AK]

Doug, I can't believe you mentioned Kevin Calabro. Is this a name you've heard in Raptor circles or just in random chat with the fellow beat grunts?

I used to live in Vancouver, B.C. where I would catch a lot of Sonic game feeds. You're absolutely correct in saying one of the best in the league. I haven't heard everyone in the L but he has to be the best I've ever heard by far! Great NBA knowledge, really intelligent insight and hardcore excitement in his voice.

Blogger's note: Not even chatting with others, just in my own little mind. But I think it'd be a shocker if he came here.

[Paulino Nunes]

"A: Well, you’ve got Mike James doing nothing for the Hornets and Juan Dixon doing nothing for the Pistons. Do they count?"

I think you forgot Billups...

Blogger's note: I assumed the question was for more obscure end-of-the-benchers but I've gone back in an added Chauncey.
Thanks

[Kevin]

Well, if we were going for analysts I'd want Walt Frazier, I love that guy, but he'd never leave NY and we don't need an analyst.

To be honest, I've not been impressed by any of the local broadcast play-by-play guys I've seen over the past couple years. Oddly enough, Chuck was the only one that I found either a.)Interesting enough to notice or b.)Willing to talk about anyone from the visiting team. I mean, say what you will about Chuck being a homer, he was always willing to talk about who he loved and what he loved of the visiting team.

That being said, I haven't seen every broadcast team so there are probably some that are more to my tastes than I can think of.

[Ron]

DS..Speaking of Ex-Raptors, how could you forget the Red Rocket with the Spurs?

[Louis K]

What about Carlos Arroyo, wasn't he at one time a Raptor too? Although like Mike James and Juan Dixon, he's also sitting on the bench not doing much nowadays, ever since TJ scorched him for the 3 minutes that he was on the court in the Raptors series...

[ScottF]

Matt Bonner is still in the playoffs too....how could we forget about him? ;)

[Luke]

Even though he may not be in the playoffs much longer, you've gotta give mention to the Red Rocket!

[Mike]

I think your also missing Lindsay Hunter in that list of former Raptors. Might want to update that list once again.

[Joe T.]

Hey Doug, here's a couple more for your ex-Raptors list: Lindsey Hunter in Detroit and Jannero Pargo in N.O. Wow! By my count that's 8 ex-Raptors still in the Playoffs: almost a whole team! Of course, half that team is point guards...

[Allister]

I used to dislike Swirsk, but then I saw a Celtics broadcast. What happened to Tommy Heinsohn? He used to be a half decent commentator (in the 80s). I guess the senility set in.

[David S.]

Doug you also forgot jannero pargo

[Serge Papineau]

I'm thinking MLSE goes the "Rob Babcock route" in their search for a new play by play guy: they'll hire someone cheap and unproven hoping to strike gold and then shell out some real $$$ for someone with talent after the first guy fails miserably and alienates the entire fan base

[B-rye]

Didn't Pargo have a brief stint with the Raps on a ten day or something in the past?

[GM]

Just your own little mind? Dougie, please! I mentioned Calabro in a comment to you yesterday. Go back and check for yourself. Did I plant the seed in your mind?

As for the bitter, angry dudes who don't like Swirsky, are they bitter and angry or do they just not like his play-by-play? You don't have to sit through it game after game. Also, one should always make a distinction between the personal and the professional. I'm not criticising him as a person. He seems like the nicest guy in the world. That doesn't mean he gets a free pass from criticism in his job.

[Travis]

You forgot Jannero Pargo's lengthy stint with the Raps.

[JM]

We will all miss Chuck for the entertainment value and love of basketball. A plea to MLSE: Please do not drop in a hockey puck to announce games. It's been done before and it's an insult to basketball fans in Toronto. And please don't go on the cheap. That was done with the Blue Jays and turned the product into a minor league commodity.

[bballer]

i guess people around here are more raptor fans than nba fans. the all nba team was just announced and i'm surprised that chauncey is not on it over steve nash? the team had a better season and he is the leader of the team. billups often gets overlooked at times even though he won the nba finals mvp. he has produced consistently more than most other players. why doesn't he get more respect from nba media?

[TMF]

You mention Eric Smith among colour commentators who should not be confused with play-by-play men eligible for the Swirsky role... However I've always felt the Fan had things backwards. Smith seems like more of a play-by-play guy and Paul Jones seems like more of a colour analyst (and let's not forget that he WAS a colour analyst before... with Swirsky as the lead, I believe).

Anyone who sounds like Paul Jones should not be main voice in a sports broadcast. Who told him he should get into broadcasting, Chris Cuthbert?

[edgar]

Retire Chuck's T-shirt Now MLSE!!!

[Uncle Zeke]

Not to worry about Billups. Another ex-Raptor in Lindsey Hunter will step in and be more than enough for Detroit to get by Orlando...

[Chris]

The fact that the Swisk put his personal email address in his blog on raptors.com sums him up perfectly. Who else would do that? What a genuine guy...he will be missed in Raptorland.

[Chris]

A belated thought on Swirsky. Take it from someone who lives in the States, who catches the Raptors on league pass and thus is familiar with most of the play by play guys in the league, Swirsky was easily in the 5. As basic as this may sound, some announcers don't even seem like they enjoy basketball, they are monotonous and boring. Swirsky, was entertaining and his love of the game was infectious. Yes, he could be incredibly cheesy at times, but his play calling will be sorely missed by this basketball fan.

[Bernie]

Doug, what about Jannero Pargo? He had a brief stint with the Raptors didn't he? Lindsey Hunter is in there too.

[roger gracie]

Why does Basketball without Borders go to Turkey and not Canada?

They are a basketball mad country.

Canada... dont make me laugh.